Apparatus for processing filamentary tows



APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING FILAMENTARY Tows Filed Oct. 22. 1954 1958 G. E. HAYWARD El'AL 2 Sheets-Sheet l IHV'GH'I OPS Gear Er m Hayward cm? my KeiH: l. B H'mlr aH'orneHS uggar 1958 G. E. HAYWARD ETAL 2,822,532

APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING FILAMENTARY Tows 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1954 FIGS.

FIG.3. FIG-.4.

IHVerH OrS Geare Eric Hayward Geoffrey Keifb Luggar' United States Patent APPARATUS FOR rnggp s smc FILAMENTARY George Eric Hayward, Long Itchington, Rugby, and Geoffrey KeithLuggar, Leamington Spa, England, assignors to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a British company Application October 22, 1954, Serial No. 464,028

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 23, 1953 7 Claims. (CI. 19-65) This invention relates to apparatus for processing filamentary tows, and in particular to apparatus for opening tows of crimped, substantially parallel filaments.

In one method of manufacture of crimped staple fibre, a tow of continuous filaments which has been crimped by mechanical means is fed to a cutter where the tow is cut into bundles of fibres of predetermined length. The bundles are thrown from the cutter into a receptacle, baled and sold to textile manufacturers for processing into yarn. In order to produce a high grade yarn from the crimped staple fibre, alone or blended with other fibres, it is necessary for the fibres to lie in random directions with respect to each other prior to carding.

As the crimped staple fibres tend to remain in bundles, as a result of individual fibres locking with adjoining fibres, it is customary to separate the fibres and arrange them in a random fashion before processing into yarn. The separation is usually achieved by a process known as opening prior to the carding operation.

The object of the present invention is an improved apparatus facilitating the opening of crimped staple fibres.

According to the present invention, apparatus for opening a travelling tow of crimped continuous filaments while the tow is subjected to tension not sufiicient to stretch the filaments but suflicient substantially to straighten out the crimp comprises a tow feeding device, a tow delivery device and at least one rotatable opening member which deflects the tow from a straight path between the feeding and delivery devices, the member having two or more filament bearing surfaces offset with respect to each other so that on rotation of the member those filaments of the tow bearing on one surface are separated from filaments bearing on the other surface.

In the preferred form each rotatable member comprises two or more contiguous discs mounted eccentrically on a common driving spindle. Each disc has its centre offset from the centre of every other disc in the member and the peripheral edge of each disc is of width less than the width of the tow. The members are mounted so that the tow rides in contact with the edges of the contiguous discs and by the separation due to the eccentric mounting of the discs, the tow is split longitudinally into groups of filaments.

A number of rotatable opening members may be sta tioned along the length of the tow and arranged in such a pattern that the tow is caused to follow a sinuous path, and the tow may be kept in a state of tension by progressively increasing the rotational speed of each driving member in the direction of travel of the tow.

The number of discs for each member may be progressively increased in the direction of travel of the tow and each disc may be circumferentially corrugated by ribs to assist the opening of the tow so that as it passes through the apparatus it is progressively split into smaller groups 9f filaments.

FF 2,822,582 g Patented Feb. 11,1958

A tow spreading device such as a number of fixed rods mounted in such' a manner that the tow in passing round them adopts a sinuous path may be placed at the feeding end of the apparatus so that a flat band of filaments is presented to' the opening members.

The invention also includes the rotatable opening member.

Apparatus of the invention may be used for opening any type of filamentary tow such as tows of viscose rayon filaments, casein filaments or cellulose acetate filaments.

An example of opening apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus with the tow partly cut away,

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 1 from below,

Figure 4 is a section of Figure 3 through lines 4-4,

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a rear view of Figure l in elevation, part1 in section, showing a standard driving means.

In Figures 1 and 2, a continuous tow 1 of mechanically crimped filaments, e. g. of cellulose acetate, drawn from a convenient source, shown in the drawings as a sliver bin 2, is passed in a sinuous manner round five fixed rods 3 so as to spread the tow 1. From the rods 3, the tow 1 passes round a cylindrical feeding roller .4 where a lubricant or other treatment liquid may be ap-:

plied by a wick 5 in a holder 6, round five rotatable open-v ing members 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, a cylindrical delivery roller 12, and finally over a fixed-guide 13to a staple fibre cutter (not shown).

Each rotatable opening member 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, comprises a number of contiguous discs 14 (Figures 3 and 4), of width substantially less than that of the tow I mounted eccentrically on a driving spindle 15 between two flanges 16. The discs 14 are arranged on the spindle 15 in a random manner so that the centre of each disc 14 is offset from, the centres of the other discs 14. The edge of each disc 14 is circumferentially corrugated by ribs 17 (Figure 5).

The feeding roller 4, the opening members 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and the delivery roller 12 are rotated by an electric motor 20 (Fig. 6) through shafts 21, 22 geared together by gears 23, worm gears 24, worm wheels 25 and the spindles 15. The worm wheels 25 are such that the rollers 4, 12 and the members 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 are rotated at speeds progressively increasing in the direction of travel of the tow 1 so that the tow 1 is maintained under tension suf ficient to straighten out the crimp under the maximum tension applied but not suflicient to stretch the tow and remove the crimp. The number of discs 14 included in each member 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, is increased in the direction of travel of the tow 1, that is, members 7, 8, have five discs, member 9 has six discs, member 10 has seven discs and member 11 has nine discs. The discs 14 are reduced in thickness, and the number of ribs 17 circumferentially arranged round the edge of each disc 14 in each member 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, is increased in the direction of travel of the tow 1.

When the apparatus is in operation, the tow I, spread out by its passage round the rods 3 and lubricated or otherwise treated by a liquid on the cylindrical roller 4 is taken up by the first member 7. The tow 1 lies across the edges of two or more of the discs 14 of the member 7 (Figure 3) and owing to the rotation and eccentricity of the mounting of the discs 14 on the spindle 15, part groups 18 01? filamentsat the junctions of adjacent discs 14, .Also, the: ribs 1 7- on the discs 14 tend to split" the tow 1 into minor groups 19 of filaments.

A similar opening operation takes place on the remaining.four members 8; 9, 10, 1-1', an'd'owingtothe progressive increase innumber ofdiscs-14 for each member 8, 9,10, 1 1, and the number of ribs 1-7'-for each disc 14' the towcl is progressively opened into a large number of groups 18 of filaments. -Finally,-t-he tow 1 passes round the roller 12 which has ribs similarto the ribs'17 of the discs 14 and is drawn into a cutter over the guide 13.

When the tow l is cut into staple fibres, -the bundles of fihresarealrea-dyinst-substantially. openstate so that lit tle. or no: further opening-is necessary before the fibres, alone or blended-with other fibres, are cardedprior to beingdrafted and spun intoyarnt If desired, rod-shaped thread-guides maybe mounted on the apparatus bet-ween members 7', -8; 9-, 10,11, to deflect the tow l from-a straight line coursebetwecn members, or one or more of the members 7, 8,9, 10, 11, may be replacedgby guides.

What we claim is: V

1. Apparatus foropening a travelling tow of crimped continuousfilaments while the tow is subjectedto a tension not. suificient to stretch the filaments but sufficient substantiallyto straighten out the crimpcomprising a towzfeeding device, a tow delivery device at -a point remote from the feedingdevice-and at least two rotatable opening'members placed at spaced-points on a sinuous path betweenthe feeding and deliverydevices, a driving shaft connected to each rotatableopening member and driving means-connected to the driving shaft s, each rotatable opening member having atleasttwo stepped filament bearing surfaces-placed side by-side in thedirection of the axisof rotation of the member providing at least twoseparate supports for the tow whereby on rotation of the member those filaments bearing on one surface are -separated"from those filaments bearing on the other surface.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each rotatable opening membentcornprises at least two contiguus di cs v.rncm ted. ccsent is lly on he sha t w h. h centre of each disc being ofi'set with respect to the centre of every other disc, and the peripheral edge of each disc forming a filament bearing-surface.

'3; .A'pparatusas ciaimed inclai-m 2 in.-whic hthe number of discs iucluded in each rotatable opening member increases from the feeding device to the delivery device.

-;Apneratusas=elaimedin;. 1aim 3; in which the peripheraledge of each disc has circumferentially arranged ribs.

5. Apparatus as claimedin claim 4 in which the rotatable opening members are; rotated .at. progressively increasing speeds from the feeding device to the delivery device.

6. Apparatus-as claimed in claim '5' in which a tow flatteningdeviceis-placed before the feeding device.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the tow flattening device comprises fixed rods placed in two parallel rows whereby the tow' is constrained to pass in a sinuouspatharound the rods.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent "U ITED SIAIE NTS 

